Keep the trash talking private

Michelle Singletary, finance guru, talked to the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies about what should be kept private online to protect your Benjamins…. and your potential future Benjamins.

Chubb offers these tips to help protect you from identity theft or a financial loss:

• Birthday blackout. Never divulge your date of birth online [month, day or year]. It can be used for identity theft or to answer a security question.

• Pet privacy. The name of your pet is a common security question, so keep your pet’s name private or avoid using it as your security answer or password.

• Trash talking. Increasingly, employers are searching online for information about prospective hires. So don’t trash your last employer or you might risk losing a job opportunity.

• Neighbor nastiness. You may have an incredibly bad neighbor, but be careful about posting comments about your battles. Derogatory comments can be used against you in a defamation lawsuit. The same goes for your children. Talk to your kid about going public with their conflicts.

via Online crime is rampant; be suspicious | delawareonline | The News Journal.

Save the trash talking for the basketball court. Or find somewhere to vent anonymously. We get lots of angry lawyers kvetching in the comments at Above The Law, for example.